As I am gearing up to start my preparations for my 2nd solo journey across the Pacific in 2020, I have been feeling nostalgic. Nostalgic for Haunani and sad that all the work we put into her is lost. Thinking of doing that all over again is daunting. It’s time to start a new list on a new boat though and dig in. There are also new goals and new things to learn. This year I will attempt to do all of PSSA’s winter races including the famous (and treacherous) Guadalupe Island race. Over 600 miles and half of it a gnarly beat up the coast of California in the winter. I am actually weirdly excited!!

anyway, I digress......

This morning I came across a transcript of all of my journal entries from my trip in 2016. It made me realize that I want to be more detailed in my writing next time. To be fair, it was so rough out there (except for a few becalmed days) that it was usually hard to make it happen. I think this is what spurred me to to a video log of the whole trip, which then gave birth to my short film. I am so grateful for all of the footage and the amazing memories. Even though these entries are brief, it took me back to read these, and made me even more excited to get out there again!

July 2-19 2016 :: Aboard the fair vessel Haunani

Day 1: (7/2)

Tacking out of the SF bay in quintessential conditions has me feeling as alive as I have felt in years! This very well could be the best thing I have ever done! I am truly in my happy place, and so is Haunani! A whale surfaced beside us as we crossed under the GG bridge, I believe to give her blessing. I cannot believe this is actually happening! I am on my way!

Day 2: (7/3)

I woke up today in good spirits, and am totally in awe of the fact that I am out here doing this. It is very cold and rough with 22 plus knots of breeze. it’s hard to move around the boat when its like this. We have about 188 miles under our belt so far

Day 3: (7/4)

It’s a beautiful moody morning. Chilly! We are right on course as far as I can tell and moving along on a close reach at about 8 knots! Haunani is amazing and we have gone over 200 miles so far! I am a bit queasy, despite my patch but enjoying it all nonetheless.

Day 4 (7/5)

Its cold and gray morning. No matter how I feel, mornings give me peace and inspire me to feel the blessings all around me..I am still feeling pretty sick, and very haggard and truthfully the swells are killing me. I seem to sleep a lot, and am feeling very lethargic. I still feel in a good mood though, and am enjoying life out here. 555 miles down as of this evening!

Day 5 (7/6)

The wind is shifting aft and dropping a bit. I felt brave enough to fly my spinnaker today. It was my 1st time ever doing it all alone, and I was very proud and happy about it! Success!

Day 6 (7/7)

The wind is light (10-12) but I was able to fly the spinnaker this morning. As the day went on we started moving more slowly. I feel much better, but am now faced with the monotony of little to no movement. It looks like a mill pond out here and I am realizing that an important part of the journey for me is to learn to be still with myself. i am in awe of the beauty that surrounds me out here transcends any I've ever seen.as my dad says "that watery disk is my place" 360' of sheer magic

Day 7 (7/8)

I still love this morning, but what a terrible night. The flopping of the main as we barely moved along was about to drive me insane. There were squalls flanking me this morning and some looked pretty ominous to the point that I reefed and braced myself for their arrival. They dissipated quickly and all of my hard work was for naught. Par for the course I guess….

Day 8 (7/9)

I saw 2 shooting stars last night…its was amazing! We are still moving slow. crawling along. I'm doing the wind dance. as of right now my GPS says I'll arrive august 30! ha! still loving it all though!!I am so content in my daily routine, and really love life out here. I didn’t expect to love it so much.

Day 9 (7/10)

whew! what a night! crazy rough and wild. Haunani is amazing and handled it like a champ. we are both well if not a little beat up.at least we made some tracks! We had to jibe in the middle of the night and it was the blackest black I have ever seen out there. It was surreal to say the least! Then today, I got to sail in front of a squall, and had a blast! We were hauling ass and surfing giant rollers as the wind pushed us along. I was laughing out loud and feeling so grateful to be out here experiencing this!

Day 10 (7/11)

beautiful morning! huge dark blue swells and an amazing sunrise. feels and smells different. I crossed half way today. I am celebrating even though I feel a little off. The good news is that we are making great headway, and I got to open my halfway treats from Barry. I was like a little kid at Halloween with the peppermint patties!

Day 11 (7/12)

Today is not good. It is hard to find anything positive to say. I feel like shit and am very overwhelmed. My tracker stopped working and I feel so alone out here. I am sad and emotional…feeling like a homesick kid at camp. And there are still 1000 miles to go. I am ready to get there already!

Day 12 (7/13)

Im feeling much better today. I have turned things around and am feeling more hopeful. The weather is warmer and I actually got some sleep. I don't think I have ever seen a more glorious day!!! the blues are so blue and the sun is bright. and a perfect breeze spiriting us to Hanalei!

Day 13 (7/14)

730 miles to go! Annoying rough seas today. I am so sore from hanging on. There seems to be no respite from the violent motion. Im ready to get there already!

Day 14 (7/15)

The wind is constant and we are moving out! we are hauling ass and having a blast. surfing up to 10 knots and heading towards Hanalei! 581 miles to go!!

Day 15 (7/16)

I'm better now but this day has been the suckiest so far. sea sickness huge nasty seas. big squalls. navigation confusion.lost 7 gallons of drinking water. ugh. I'm ready to get there already!

Day 16 (7/17)

I saw a double rainbow and I was feeling much better with less than 300 miles to go, then the autopilot stopped working and the boat did a donut with me on the foredeck. I had a horrible day.! I'm ready for people, fresh food and solid ground!!!

after the fact note here….not sure why I didn’t mention that I was never able to fix it and had to use my backup wheel pilot for the rest of the trip. The old guy could barely steer in the rough adn windy conditions, so there was a lot of self steering and waking up to going in the exact wrong direction. I was grateful for him though, because he did help.

Day 17(7/18)

120 miles to go. I am feeling beat up after a hard few days and a very rough night. but very excited that I'm almost there!! it's surreal!

Day 18 (7/19)

Land Ho!! Seeing that beautiful island brought tears to my eyes. A full rainbow welcomed us in as we got closer to Hanalei. I could smell the earth. I can barely feel the feet under me as I get closer and closer.